Cat Daddy

What the World's Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love, and Coming Clean

Penguin Putnam“Mr. Galaxy—shaved head, arms full of tattoos—seems physically at odds with his gentle voice and gentle approach to animals. . . . But though he may be dealing with humans who have been terrorized and even bloodied by their out-of-control pets, he’s a model of consistency. The cats, not the people, are his No. 1 priority.”—The New York Times

“Galaxy is not your average animal behaviorist. He speaks Cat. And cats listen. He works miracles in saving death-row cats in shelters by helping them get over their fears and increase their self-esteem, and coaching them to ‘work it’ with potential adopters.”—mousebreath.com

“He’s the kind of magic man who can lull a shelter’s roomful of ferocious felines to sleep.”—Yahoo!

“Each of us sheds light on our subject from our own particular point of view. Fortunately for us all Jackson Galaxy’s light is very bright. His success at resolving behavioral difficulties in cats stems from his ability to slide his mind into the cat’s point of view and proceed from there. His insights into both human and cat behavior are right on.”—Anitra Frazier, author of The Natural Cat

Cat behaviorist and star of Animal Planet’s hit television show My Cat from Hell,Jackson Galaxy, a.k.a. “Cat Daddy,” isn’t what you might expect for a cat expert (as TheNew York Times noted, with his goatee and tattoos he “looks like a Hells Angel”). Yet Galaxy’s ability to connect with even the most troubled felines—not to mention the stressed-out humans living in their wake—is awe-inspiring. In this book, Galaxy tells the poignant story of his thirteen-year relationship with a petite gray-and-white short-haired cat named Benny, and gives singular advice for living with, caring for, and loving the feline in your home. When Benny arrived in his life, Galaxy was a down-and-out rock musician with not too much more going on than a part-time job at an animal shelter and a drug problem. Benny’s previous owner brought the cat to the shelter in a cardboard box to give him up. Benny had seen better days—his pelvis had just been shattered by the wheels of a car—and his owner insisted he’d been “unbondable” from day one. Nothing could have been further from the truth. An inspiring account of two broken beings who fixed each other, Cat Daddy is laced throughout with Galaxy’s amazing “Cat Mojo” advice for understanding what cats need most from us humans in order to live happier, healthier lives.

Random House, Inc.“Mr. Galaxy—shaved head, arms full of tattoos—seems physically at odds with his gentle voice and gentle approach to animals. . . . But though he may be dealing with humans who have been terrorized and even bloodied by their out-of-control pets, he’s a model of consistency. The cats, not the people, are his No. 1 priority.”—The New York Times

“Galaxy is not your average animal behaviorist. He speaks Cat. And cats listen. He works miracles in saving death-row cats in shelters by helping them get over their fears and increase their self-esteem, and coaching them to ‘work it’ with potential adopters.”—mousebreath.com

“He’s the kind of magic man who can lull a shelter’s roomful of ferocious felines to sleep.”—Yahoo!

“Each of us sheds light on our subject from our own particular point of view. Fortunately for us all Jackson Galaxy’s light is very bright. His success at resolving behavioral difficulties in cats stems from his ability to slide his mind into the cat’s point of view and proceed from there. His insights into both human and cat behavior are right on.”—Anitra Frazier, author ofThe Natural Cat

Cat behaviorist and star of Animal Planet’s hit television show My Cat from Hell,Jackson Galaxy, a.k.a. “Cat Daddy,” isn’t what you might expect for a cat expert (asTheNew York Times noted, with his goatee and tattoos he “looks like a Hells Angel”). Yet Galaxy’s ability to connect with even the most troubled felines—not to mention the stressed-out humans living in their wake—is awe-inspiring. In this book, Galaxy tells the poignant story of his thirteen-year relationship with a petite gray-and-white short-haired cat named Benny, and gives singular advice for living with, caring for, and loving the feline in your home.When Benny arrived in his life, Galaxy was a down-and-out rock musician with not too much more going on than a part-time job at an animal shelter and a drug problem. Benny’s previous owner brought the cat to the shelter in a cardboard box to give him up. Benny had seen better days—his pelvis had just been shattered by the wheels of a car—and his owner insisted he’d been “unbondable” from day one. Nothing could have been further from the truth.An inspiring account of two broken beings who fixed each other, Cat Daddy is laced throughout with Galaxy’s amazing “Cat Mojo” advice for understanding what cats need most from us humans in order to live happier, healthier lives.

Baker & TaylorCat behaviorist and star of Animal Planet's hit show My Cat from Hell, Jackson Galaxy isn't what you might expect for a cat expert. Yet Galaxy's ability to connect with even the most troubled felines--not to mention the stressed-out humans living in their wake--is awe-inspiring. Here, Galaxy tells the poignant story of his thirteen-year relationship with a petite cat named Benny, and gives singular advice for living with, caring for, and loving the feline in your home. When Benny arrived in his life, Galaxy was a down-and-out rock musician with a part-time job at an animal shelter and a drug problem. Benny's previous owner brought the cat to the shelter, insisting he was "unbondable." This inspiring account of two broken beings who fixed each other is laced throughout with Galaxy's "Cat Mojo" advice for understanding what cats need from us humans in order to live happier, healthier lives.--From publisher description.

Baker & TaylorTraces the story of the author's relationship with gray-and-white feline companion Benny, relating their shared healing experiences while offering advice on how to promote optimal human-cat bonds.The star of Animal Planet's My Cat From Hell traces the story of his 13-year relationship with gray-and-white feline companion Benny, related their shared healing experiences while offering advice on how to promote optimal human-cat bonds. TV tie-in.

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I've never seen his show, but I did not like his writing at all! Although he has a compelling story, he comes across as full of himself, which I did not enjoy. I also would have liked to have more about cats and behavior.

If you don’t already know who he is, Jackson Galaxy is the cat behaviorist and star of Animal Planet’s My Cat from Hell. This memoir describes his transformation from addicted musician to everyone’s favorite Cat Daddy. Part of his recovery involves Benny, a damaged foster cat who steals Jackson’s heart and forces him to grow up.

The writing is sort of disjointed, but I still think it is a decent read, if you’re a fan.

jeanner222
Feb 14, 2014

If you don’t already know who he is, Jackson Galaxy is the cat behaviorist and star of Animal Planet’s My Cat from Hell. This memoir describes his transformation from addicted musician to everyone’s favorite Cat Daddy. Part of his recovery involves Benny, a damaged foster cat who steals Jackson’s heart and forces him to grow up.

The writing is sort of disjointed, but I still think it is a decent read, if you’re a fan.

I guess I'm less an expert on cats than other people who've commented on this book. I learned some very useful things about cat behaviour, which I will use with my own cat. I too would have liked a bit more about cats in the book, although the NA/AA story was interesting..

hgeng63
May 06, 2013

Not mostly a bk about cat behavior but more about Galaxy's journey towards sobriety that's written in psychology-speak. Didn't have enough catness in it for me, but his account of his cat Benny's decline is genuinely moving.

An enjoyable read for cat lovers or anyone who knows someone who has gone through AA or NA. Not enough information about cats, I know he knows a lot more than he shared. I have questions, like, 'what if the cat is feral and won't blink back at you?' so maybe I'll have to check out his website/s.

It’s fairly obvious that Galaxy is not a great writer, but he has a great story. All I’ve seen of his show on Animal Planet is a commercial, but that is enough for me to know I am a fan and that I could learn a lot about cats from him. This biography is recommended for current or future Jackson Galaxy fans, all of whom are presumably cat fans as well.

loblollyrosa
Sep 13, 2012

Most of this book is about how a former addict of drugs, alcohol and food got into the business of cat behavior. His story is somewhat intense and raw. Though not really a book on cat behavior, the author does include his tips and strategies that he has learned and uses today.